nationalCommunitySafetyPlan200811 - Staffordshire County Council

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14 NATIONAL COMMUNITY SAFETY PLAN 2008–11 REDUCE THE RISK TO THE UK AND ITS INTERESTS OVERSEAS FROM INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM (PSA 26) Since the early 1990s, violent extremists claiming to act in the name of Islam have committed acts of terrorism across the world as a means of advancing their various politico-religious agenda. Attacks took place in London on 7 July 2005, with further attempted attacks on London and Glasgow. There have been attacks against UK-related targets and UK citizens overseas. The terrorist threat is serious and sustained. The Government has no higher duty than the protection of its citizens: countering this threat is therefore a critical cross-government priority. In order to achieve this aim, the Government’s specifi c objectives are to: ■ stop terrorist attacks; ■ where we cannot stop an attack, mitigate its impact; ■ strengthen our overall protection against terrorist attacks; and ■ stop people becoming or supporting terrorists or violent extremists. The Government’s long-term strategy for countering international terrorism is CONTEST (published in July 2006). The strategy and the programme to implement it are divided into four principle areas of work: ■ pursuing terrorists and those who sponsor them; ■ preparing for the consequences; ■ protecting the public, key national services, and UK interests overseas; and ■ preventing terrorism by tackling the radicalisation of individuals. What does it mean for the public? CONTEST aims to reduce the risk from international terrorism so that people can go about their daily lives freely and with confi dence. What does it mean for partnerships? It is essential that the Government works with and through local communities and local partnerships to tackle this threat. Terrorism is a crime and must not been viewed in isolation from mainstream delivery mechanisms: those community groups and local partnerships that have a role in delivering community safety equally have an essential role to play in delivering counter-terrorism measures. Indeed, many of the delivery mechanisms for other PSAs in this document will also be relevant to counter-terrorism. For example, PSA 14 (Increase the number of children and young people on the path to success) and PSA 21 (Build more cohesive, empowered and active communities) are both critical elements of our strategy to prevent radicalisation. The counter-terrorism indicators in the National Indicator Set (NIS) and in APACS will encourage local partnerships to consider the contribution they can make to reducing the risk of terrorist attack. LSPs will be accountable for creating and supporting an atmosphere in local communities whereby violent extremism is resisted and rejected, as well as helping to identify and support individuals at risk of violent extremism. They should focus on four main themes: knowledge and understanding of preventing violent extremism; understanding of, and engagement with, Muslim communities; effective development of an action plan to build the resilience of communities and support vulnerable individuals; and effective oversight, delivery and evaluation of projects. In line with local priorities and strategic assessments, CDRPs should: ■ ensure that local arrangements are in place to identify and support individuals who may be vulnerable to recruitment by violent extremists and to bring back into the mainstream those who are already violent extremists. These arrangements should be based within the community and work in partnership with the community. In particular, this will require close working between local authorities and the police to ensure that local activity to tackle violent extremism is directed at those areas where the greatest risk has been identifi ed; and ■ work with police counter-terrorism security advisers and groups such as Local Resilience Fora and, depending on local assessments, take action to reduce the vulnerability of crowded places to terrorist attack using the protective security guidance from the National Counter-Terrorism Security Offi ce. What does it mean nationally and regionally? ■ The Government’s collective effort on tackling terrorism will be taken forward by the Offi ce for Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT), which will
provide strategic direction for counter-terrorism in support of Ministers, including through its CONTEST programme boards. ■ The Government attaches particular importance to developing the PREVENT strand of CONTEST, which focuses on stopping people becoming or supporting terrorists or violent extremists. OSCT will drive progress on this agenda across all government departments, agencies and delivery partners, including the police. The Association of Chief Police Offi cers (ACPO) Terrorism and Allied Matters Working Group is developing an operational delivery strategy to embed tackling violent extremism into mainstream policing across the country. ■ Early in 2008, OSCT will be providing detailed guidance for partnerships on how to tackle issues of violent extremism in their area. Each area needs to consider how relevant and how acute these issues are. The Government recognises that they are not uniform across the country, but are signifi cant in many areas. Examples of best practice will be circulated, together with advice on how to implement similar projects. Additional support will be provided to areas of high risk. ■ The Lord West Review showed that although a substantial amount of work has been undertaken to increase protective security in crowded places, transport infrastructure and critical national infrastructure, further improvements could be made. But in each case these need to be proportionate to the risk, as individuals and businesses need to be free to carry out normal social, economic and democratic activities. ■ The Home Offi ce will provide a new national strategic framework early in 2008 to encourage greater partnership working at the local level between local authorities, other local partners and businesses. ■ The Home Offi ce will work with partnerships on issues in relation to protective security, including specifi cally working with relevant professional bodies to raise the awareness and skills of architects, planners and police architectural liaison offi cers in relation to counter-terrorism. NATIONAL COMMUNITY SAFETY PLAN 2008–11 15 BUILD MORE COHESIVE, EMPOWERED AND ACTIVE COMMUNITIES (PSA 21) The Government’s objective through this PSA is to build cohesive, empowered and active communities that maximise the benefi ts of diversity rather than fear it, where individuals are empowered to make a difference both to their own lives and to the communities and wider environment in which they live, and where individuals are enabled to live active and fulfi lled lives. What does it mean for the public? Local people and communities will be empowered to lead change and will be given the confi dence, skills and power to infl uence what public bodies do for them. What does it mean for partnerships? Local authorities lead on understanding the overall challenges faced by their city, town or neighbourhood and developing sustainable solutions and a shared vision, working with partners through LSPs. This will include community safety issues, and CDRPs will therefore need to work closely with LSPs. In line with local priorities and strategic assessments, CDRPs should consider: ■ working closely with local authorities and LSPs to ensure that community safety challenges and proposed solutions are represented within the wider picture developed for communities, e.g. through the LSPs’ sustainable communities strategies and LAAs. Local authorities have a vital role in ensuring that the right connections are made between the activity of their CDRPs and the wider sustainable communities strategy; ■ working closely with LSPs and LCJBs on the use of new mechanisms to facilitate user and citizen engagement, 4 to ensure that citizens and communities are engaged effectively and in a co-ordinated way about their community safety priorities alongside broader priorities for the community. Again, local authorities have a key linking role; 4 Some of these are being introduced through the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (e.g. Community Call for Action, or the extension of the wellbeing power to some parish councils); others are options to be considered according to local circumstances (e.g. neighbourhood charters or participatory budgeting).
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nationalCommunitySafetyPlan200811 - Staffordshire County Council

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